Man&#39;s shirt



R. TUCKER D ec. 24, 1935.

MANS SHIRT 1935 2- Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Nov, 21

grvucwbov ALPH TUCKE a Dec. 24, 1935. V TU KER 2;0'25,4s5

MAN S SHIRT Original Filed Nov. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ALPH TUCKERUNITED STATES A'l' Patented Dec. 24, 1935 MANS SHIRT Ralph Tucker,Larchmont, N. Y., assignor to The Commercial Shirt Corp., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York 2 Claims.

@FEEQE This application is a division of application Serial No. 699,077,filed November 21, 1933; and relates to improvements in mens shirts,with more particular relation to improvements in the collars andneckbands of the same.

One of the objects of the invention is to overcome the fault present inmost all shirts, i. e., the

shrinking of the collar and collar-band after the shirt has beenlaundered.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedexpansible collar-band.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collar-band of adefinite size that may expand in the right proportion according to theshrinkage taking place from laundering.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible collar-band inwhich is incorporated fine strands of rubber for permitting expansion ofthe band when in use.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1represents a front elevation, partly broken away, of a shirt withattached collar embodying my invention;

Figure 2 represents a detail vertical view of the same, shown partly insection;

Figure 3 represents a detail front elevation of a modified form of theinvention;

Figure 4 represents a detail front elevation, partly broken away, of thestructure shown in Figure 3, the front sections being separated;

Figure 5 represents a detail front elevation of a shirt with attachedcollar embodying a modified form of my invention;

Figure 6 represents a detail front elevation of a shirt with detachablecollar, the shirt neckband and collar neckband being of the Wovenelastic fabric;

Figure 7 represents a detail front elevation of the shirt alone with thewoven elastic neckband and V insert of woven elastic;

Figure 8 represents a magnified top plan view of a section of the wovenelastic material showing the thread-like warp and the cotton or linenweft;

Figure 9 represents a detail front elevation, partly in section, of acollar composed entirely of elastic fabric;

Figure 10 represents a detail front elevation, broken away, of a collarhaving elastic fabric buttonhole tabs at the front of the collar-band.

It has heretofore been old to provide the neckband of a shirt withrubber elastic material superimposed between non-elastic fabric ofcotton or the like.

In this structure, the tension on the rubber pulls the non-elasticfabric into folds or creases so that as the elastic stretches, the foldsare straightened out to allow such expanding movement of thecollar-band.

Such a structure is very uncomfortable and unsightly and is at the besta mere make-shift to provide an expansible collar for correcting thenatural shrinkage of a collar-band or collar.

In the present invention, the inventor has taken advantage of the recentinvention of a fabric material known on the market as Lastex. Thismaterial to all intents and purposes for both contact with the humanskin and appearance, is a woven fabric of very fine texture and may beemployed where fine texture fabrics must be employed for appearancesake. The texture of this fabric is so fine that it practicallyapproximates the appearance of what is known in the trade as broadcloth,which material is almost exclusively used in the manufacture of mensshirts.

By reference to Figure 8 of the drawings, which is greatly magnified, itwill be seen that the fabric employed in the present invention comprisesa series of warp threads 56, formed of elastic material. These threadsare very fine, so fine, in fact that when they are wrapped withenclosing cotton or the like threads 5?, they form in effect a singlethin thread having a fine elastic core of white rubber. The threads 5are wrapped about the core When this core is more or less stretched, sothat when the core assumes its normal position, the threads 51, whichpass about it, are forced more or less over each other so that when thethread 56 is again stretched, the threads 51 will still conceal the coreunless abnormal stretching operation takes place.

With this structure, and in such situations as it is to be employed in,the rubber core 56 is practically never visible as the stretching of thewarp only causes the threads 51 to fall into place, one beside theother.

The entire thread constituted by the core 56 and the wrapping thread 5?is treated as a single thread and woven into the fabric by suitable weftthreads so that then the finished product has the appearance ofbroadcloth.

Such a fabric is expansible in the direction of the warp without in anywise disturbing its uniform appearance and without causing any undueseparation of the weft threads such as might give an unsightlyappearance. As a matter of fact, the fabric when expanded, to allpractical purposes, does not change its appearance whatever, and isstill apparently a piece of fine texture broadcloth.

With this thought in mind the inventor inthe present case is seeking toovercome one of the greatest defects in mens shirts today; and that is,the shrinking of the shirts with their collars and neckbands to such anextent as to render them useless after they have been laundered acertain'number of times.

Many of the higher priced shirts have been treated by preshrinkingprocesses. These are rather expensive and are never thoroughlyeffective, so that a shirt that might fit perfectly about the collar andcollar-band when purchased, soon becomes unwearable because ofshrinking.

This is true not only of shirts, but of pajamas and other garments thatare continually laundered and have a natural average of shrinkage thatmight be compensated for.

By reference to Figure 1, which illustrates a shirt with a so-calledattached collar, l represents the shirt proper, 2 the collar whichcomprises a collar-band 3, and an outer collar proper 4. The collar-band3 comprises two layers of the elastic fabric shown in Figure 8, attachedto the top of the shirt I, and to the collar proper 4 by suitablestitching.

The shirt I and collar 4 are manufactured of the usual ordinarybroadcloth. A buttonhole 9 is provided in the elastic tab I as shown inFigures 1 and 2 and this buttons over the usual button 8 which issecured to the opposite tab of. the

collar-band.

A V notch 10 is provided in the back of the shirt adjoining thecollar-band and this V notch is covered with a double thickness ofelastic fabric 6, similar to the collar-band 3. The oflice of this Vnotch is to allow the entire collar-band and also the top of the shirtto expand, should the shirt itself and collar-band shrinkfromlaundering.

In the modified form of my invention, shown in Figure 3, inserts [4 ofthe elastic fabric are provided inthe collar-band l2 which isconstructed of broadcloth. These inserts of elastic fabric, as bestshown in Figure 4, leave the ends of the collar-band of broadcloth as atl5 and I8. This structure allows for the expansion of the collar-bandand collar, but, at the same time, conceals the elastic fabric by thenecktie so that the ends of the tabs, which normally show, will notsuggest anything but the regular appearance of the broadcloth. I Thebutton It! in this instance is secured to the elastic fabric I! whichforms a continuation of the collar-band l2 and a buttonhole I6 is workedin the elastic fabric insert l4.

In the form of my invention shown in Figure 5, an elastic fabric tab 24,formed with a buttonhole 21, is arranged to button over the button 28secured to the collar-band 22of the collar 23. This fabric tab 24 passesthrough a buttonhole slot 25 worked in the collar-band 22 and is securedthereto as at 26. The expansibility of the collarband is secured in thisway, although this is not the preferred form of the invention.

In Figure 6 I have shown a detachable collar mounted upon what is knownas a collar-band shirt. In this instance the rear collar button 36passes through a suitable buttonhole in the elastic cloth material. Inthis particular instance of the application of my invention, the shirtband 3| is also formed of the elastic fabric with double layers and asuitable button hole 34 worked through the back of this, as best shownin Figure 7.

The elastic fabric V insert 33 is provided practically in the samemanner as in Figure 1, except that it expands in using with a shirtcollar-band and instead of a collar-band. 1

In the modification of my invention, shown in Figure 9, I have formed anentire detachable collar of the elastic material. Such a collar would beemployed either on an attached collar shirt, as illustrated in Figure 1,or on a detachable 5 collar shirt, as illustrated in Figure 7, the.entire collar expanding. Numeral 45 designates the collar made of theelastic material having the core 56 as illustrated in Figure 8, thecollar band comprising two layers of elastic fabric, the inner layerdesignated by numeral 41, and the outer layer bearing numeral 48. Abuttonhole 49 extends through the two layers 41 and. 48. Such astructure is feasible as, because of the peculiar construction of thiselastic fabric, the appearance of the outside of the collar practicallydoes not change at all when the fabric is expanded.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Figure 10, I haveconstructed the tabs 52 with buttonholes 53 and secured these tabs tothe col- 3 0 lar-band 50 of a detachable collar 5|. By this means, Isecure the same expansibility as is secured by the elastic inserts shownin Figure 4.

It will be understood that in illustrating the present invention, theportions that are constructed of the new elastic fabric have beenhatched to show the presence of this fabric, but, as a matter of fact,the difference in appearance between the regular non-elastic broadclothand the new elastic fabric, is so slight that even where portions of theelastic material are exposed to view, they will not be unsightly; infact, the elastic fabric being so similar to the regular fabric doesnot, as a matter of fact, constitute a practical difference inappearance.

The new elastic fabric being so smooth and fine in its structure, doesnot irritate the neck of the wearer and this is particularly desirablein warm weather. 7

Further, the new elastic material being composed of a great percentageof absorbent fabric, will not give the same uncomfortable feeling thatmight result from employing a rubber fabric having a great deal ofrubber that prevented the absorption or passage of perspiration. Inother 55 words, the employment of the new elastic fabric, in thestructure of shirt bands and shirt collars, is such that it ispractically used in the same manner as if it were broadcloth, andprovides the desired finished appearance of broadcloth,

that the collar'band and the collar will give with 7' each movement ofthe wearer, thus making the garment particularly'useful for golf shirtsand other shirts worn by athletes or very active people.

It will also be understood that in the manufacture of garments as abovedescribed, the elastic material, where it is joined to the broadcloth orother fabric, is sewed with an elastic thread similar to the warpthreads which make up the elastic fabric so that any stretching of theelastic material may be accommodated where it joins the inner elasticmaterial by the threads stretching more or less.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 5, it will, of course, beunderstood that the button may be secured to the elastic fabric tab, andthe button hole formed in the collar-band of the collar withoutdeparting from the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A shirt having a neck band of a woven fabric in which the warpthreads comprise fine rubber cores wrapped with fabric thread combinedwith fine weft fabric threads and having a gusset of the neck bandmaterial extending at the back down into the shirt, said warp threadsextending in the lengthwise direction of the collar band, a collaradapted to be secured to said neck band and having buttonholes therein,the region around said button holes being formed of the same ma.- terialas said neck band.

2. A shirt having a neck band of a woven fabric in which the warpthreads comprise fine rubber cores wrapped with fabric thread combinedwith fine weft fabric threads and having a gusset of the neck bandmaterial extending at the back down into the shirt, said warp threadsextending in the lengthwise direction of the collar band, a collaradapted to be secured to said neck band and having buttonholes therein,said collar having a collar band, tabs extending beyond said buttonholesand forming the ends of the collarband, the region around said buttonholes being of the same material as said neck band, the tabs 15

